A New Nation – American Timeline 1785-1876

United States Capitol, Washington, DC, by Currier & Ives, about 1873

“My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue.”

— Author Unknown

At the successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War in 1783, Americans continued to experiment with how to govern themselves under the Articles of Confederation turned to George Washington for leadership, this time as president of the new republic. In the next decades, the fledgling nation would deal with expansion and spent a good deal of time and effort developing policies to keep the peace between the white settlers and the Native Americans. More wars would be fought including the War of 1812, numerous Indian Wars, and the Mexican-American War. The nation would also begin to deal with the practice of slavery and social reforms.

1785-1876

Northwest Territory

1785 – The Northwest Indian War begins between the United States and a confederation of numerous Native American tribes, with support from the British, for control of the Northwest Territory. It lasts until 1795.

1787 – The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution.

Mass-produced toilet paper was introduced by New York City entrepreneur Joseph Gayetty who invented aloe-infused sheets of manila hemp dispensed from Kleenex-like boxes in 1857. However, his invention was a failure because Americans had become accustomed to using mail-order catalogs, which were free. It really didn’t catch on until Clarence and E. Irvin Scott of the Scott Paper Company co-invented rolled toilet paper in 1890.